This is John Batchelor, conversation with colleague Charles Burton about an emphasis in Canada to move away from trade with the United States and towards forging a new relationship with China.

Here, Charles identifies what can go wrong with such an idea, but what might be underway now because of the unpredictability of the

Trump administration with regard its treaty obligations and its participation in NATO.

Charles Burton on Canada, is it drifting away? Question mark. More of this tonight.

So I do think that, of course, it's urgent for global security

that the United States should try and counter Chinese influence operations in Western allies.

Because if these countries, if the United States is seen as isolationist and abandoning its allies

militarily and economically, then China will rush to fill the vacuum.

And China is already trying to make out that, you know, with the withdrawal of the U.S. aid

that China is supplementing by providing aid to nations that have lost the US funding,

and the claim that China is more respectful of international agreements than the United States.

I mean, this is all clearly designed to deceive, but it's a line which apparently has purchased in Canada today.